Game with cruciform gameboard which converts to gamepiece container



March 26, 1968 w. E. ATKINSON 3,375,008

IFORM GAMEBOARD WH GAME WITH C CONVERTS GAMEPIECE CONTAINE Filed Aug. 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l 22 .LHOj

/2U v 'J24 ATTORNEY v H V" I 1/ 25 -n I 9; g \Q 125 C3 j f/ 5 1m 22 Q a 1 15' L 15' I INVENTOR GAME WITH CRUGIFORM GAMEBOARD wmcn CONVERTS TC GAMEPIECE CONTAINER March 26, 19681v w. ATKINSON I ,3

2 Sheets-Shet g 7 Filed Aug. 12, 1965 l? "M2, "ll 14 15 Y ATTORNEY INVENTOR Patented Mar. 26, 1968 3,375,008 GAME WITH CRUCIFORM GAMEBOARD WHICH CONVERTS TO GAMEPIECE CONTAINER Wallace E. Atkinson, R.F.D. 3, Box 362 B11, Petersburg, Va. 23803 Filed Aug. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 479,082 Claims. (Cl. 273101) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An elongated box consisting of two box members each including a panel with perpendicular side and end walls. Intermediate portions of the side walls are swingable into coplanar relation with the panel to form recesses which permit one box member to be placed across the other to provide a cruciform gameboard with upstanding perimetric walls. Game pieces movably positioned on the gameboard are intended to be shot at by opposing players using hand-held guns.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in games, and in particular the invention concerns itself with a game apparatus wherein game pieces in the simulated form of soldiers, Warriors, or the like, are movable on a gameboard and may be shot at by different players using hand-held toy guns so as to cause the game pieces to fall, thus preventing the game pieces from reaching a designated target.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a highly interesting and entertaining game of the nature above outlined which may be played by two, three or four players and which involves an element of skill in shooting the hand-held toy guns with each player attempting to avoid hitting his own men while trying to hit those of the other players.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel gameboard of a cruciform shape having an upstanding perimetric wall to prevent scattering of the shot game pieces as well as of the projectiles or pellets discharged by the hand-held toy guns.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a cruciform gameboard with an upstanding perimetric wall, which gameboard is composed of two complemental, separable sections or members, such members with their perimetric wall portions being capable of being put together so as to form a box or container for the game pieces when the game is not being played.

With the foregoing more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the gameboard used in the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view on a reduced scale, showing one of the box members from which the gameboard is assembled;

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view of the other box member, the surface ornamentation of the gameboard being omitted in this view;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 55 in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary, enlarged detail showing clip means used in the invention;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the clip means connecting the two box members;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged view of one of the game pieces;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged view of another game piece; and

FIGURE 10 is a group elevational view showing one of the hand-held toy guns and its projectile or pellet.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate two complemental box members 11, 12 which may be assembled to serve either as a gameboard or as a container for game pieces when the game is not being played.

The box member 11 consists of an elongated, rectangular panel 13 provided at its side edges and end edges with perpendicular side flanges or walls 14 and end flanges or walls 15, it being understood that in FIG. 2 the box member 11 is inverted so that its flanges or walls 14, 15 extend downwardly from the panel 13. Similarly, the box member 12 shown in its upright position in FIG. 3, consists of the panel 13' with perpendicular side walls 14' and perpendicular end Walls 15'. As will be readily apparent, the arrangement is such that the inverted box member 11 may be applied to the box member 12 with the walls or flanges 14, 15 telescoping into or over the walls or flanges 14', 15, thus forming a box or container for game pieces when the game is not being played.

The box members 11, 12 are preferably made of bendable material such as stiif cardboard, and the side walls 14, 14' are cut or slit as indicated at 16, so that the intermediate side wall portions 17 and 17' between the slits 16 may be hingedly swung outwardly into coplanar relation with the respective panels 13, 13, as is exemplified by the dotted lines 17" in FIG. 3. When the wall portions are so swung, open recesses exist in the intermediate regions of the walls, that is, between the slit edges 16, such recesses of course being closed when the wall portions 17, 17 are returned to their perpendicular position.

The upper edge portions of the wall portions 17 of the box member 12 have secured to their inner surfaces thin metal strips 18 which project longitudinally at both ends beyond the wall portions 17 to provide a pair of bendable tabs or clips 19, as is best shown in FIG. 6. These projecting tabs engage the inner surfaces of the walls 14' and thus serve as keeper means for preventing outward swinging of the wall portions 17' when the box is assem-.

bled, but the tabs may be bent out of the way to permit outward swinging of the wall portions when the box members are to be put together to form a gameboard, as will be hereinafter described. The strips 18 and keeper tabs 19 are provided on the wall portions 17' of the box member 12 when during the assembly of the box, the box member 11 is telescoped into the member 12 and the tabs 19 on the wall portions 17' of the member 12 retain the portions 17' closed, thus also retaining the wall portions 17 of the member 11 closed by virtue of its telescopic insertion into the member 12. On the other hand, if in forming the box the member 12 should be insertable into the member 11, then the strips 18 with the keeper tabs 19 would be provided on the side portions 17 of the member 11 rather than on the portions 17' of the member 12. as will be readily understood.

Reference is now drawn to FIGS. l-5 and particularly to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, which show the two box members 11, 12 of FIGS. 2 and 3 assembled to provide a cruciform gameboard designated generally by the numeral 20. In so doing, the side wall portions 17 of the box member 12 are first opened out into coplanar relation with the panel 13', thus forming the open recesses in the side walls 14, into which recesses the box member 11 may be placed transversely across the member 12, as shown in FIG. 1. In this position the opened wall portions 17 underlie the panel 13 of the box member 11 and the panel 13 is provided at appropriate locations with slots 21, into which the keeper tabs 19 may be inserted and bent as indicated at 19' in FIG. 7, so as to hold the two box members in assembled relation. The side wall portions 17 of the box member 11 are also opened out into coplanar relation with the panel 13 so that they lie fiat on the panel 13 of the member 12, as is shown in FIG. 4. It will be apparent from the foregoing that when the box members 11, 12 are assembled into the cruciform gameboard, the gameboard is provided along its perimetric edge with a continuous upstanding wall or flange constituted by the box member walls 14, 14, 15 and 15. If as above mentioned the strips 18 and keeper tabs 19 should be provided on the wall portions 17 of the member 11 instead of on the wall portions 17 of the member 12, the slots 21 would be formed in the panel 13' of the member 12 to receive the keeper tabs, thus not only holding the members 11 and 12 together, but also preventing the wall portions 17 from lifting off the panel 13' of the member 12, as seen in FIG. 4.

In any event, considering the gameboard 20 in its assembled position as shown in FIG. 1, it will be observed that it is provided with surface ornamentation including 21 PORT area 22 at each of the four end positions of the gameboard, a centrally disposed Home area 23, and a plurality of squares 24, over which game pieces may be selectively moved from the FORT areas to the Home. Suitable markings representing lakes 25 are also provided on the squares 24 as examplified in the drawing, these lakes being out-of-bound, so to speak, in that game pieces should not be placed thereon.

The game pieces comprise sets of men that is, soldiers, warriors, or the like, as exemplified at 26 in FIG. 8, together with a chief 27 for each set of men, as indicated at 27 in FIG. 9. A set of game pieces for each player consists of a group of men 26, for example, a group of eleven men, and one chief 27. The game pieces of each player are colored ditferently from those of the other players and the FORT areas 22 of the gameboard are colored in correspondence to the respective colors of the several sets of game pieces. The game may be played by two, three or four players, each occupying a position adjacent one of the PORTS of the gameboard and playing with game pieces which are of the same color as that particular FORT. Thus, on the gameboard as a whole, the game pieces of each player are distinguishable from those of the others.

Apart from the gameboard and the game pieces, the apparatus also includes one or more toy guns 28, preferably one gun for each player. The gun 28 is of a conventional nature, capable of shooting a projectile 29 such as a foamed plastic pellet, for example, the construction of such a conventional gun being well known in the toy art so that a further explanation thereof herein is not believed to be necessary. However, it is significant to note that the gun 28 is to be held in the hand of the player and freely manipulated without any physical connection of the gun to the gameboard structure, so that in effect the gun is a' separate entity and may be used freely by the player to shoot the projectile 29 over the upper edge of the upstanding perimetric wall of the gameboard. The game pieces 26, 27 are of a smaller height than the upstanding gameboard wall (as will be apparent from the dotted line illustration of the game piece 26 in FIG. 5), so that when a player stationed at one of the PORTS 22 of the gameboard aims his gun over the top edge of the gameboard wall, he shoots over the heads of his men at the men of opposing players, attempting to hit the opposing men and cause them to fall on the gameboard.

The game pieces 26, 27 are moved selectively on the squares 24 of the gameboard, the object of the game being for each player to attempt to escort his chief 27 from his FORT 22 to the Home area 23 at the center of the board. The rules of the game may be summarized as follows:

To start-each player places his men inside his 4 PORT. Men cannot be shot while standing inside the Fort.

Each player sends out a patrol of men to check the enemy, turns being taken by the players to move their respective men.

Each of the squares 24 counts as one move. More than one man may occupy a given square. Each player has as many moves as he has men standing, including his Chief. The men stand upright on the board and may be moved in any direction. A player may move all his men or a few or none, whatever is necessary to protect his Chief. The Chief also moves in any direction, but is allowed only one move forward at a time. The lakes 25 are not to be occupied and dead or fallen men are left to lie where they fall. The men are moved by each player before shooting, and each player has as many shots as he has men standing outside of his FORT. All shots are to be made from the FORT areas 22. The first Chief to reach the Home 23 wins the game and if all Chiefs are killed before reaching Home, nobody wins the game and a new game may be started.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A combined game piece container and gameboard, comprising an elongated box consisting of first and second complemental box members, each of said box members comprising an elongated panel having a pair of side edges and a pair of end edges, a pair of perpendicular side walls and a pair of perpendicular end Walls provided at the respective side and end edges of each box member panel, the perpendicular walls of said box members being telescopically nested when one of the members is applied in an inverted position to the other member so as to form a box, the side walls of said box members having hinged intermediate portions swingable outwardly into coplanar relation with their associated panel whereby to provide open recesses in the intermediate regions of said side walls, the first of said box members being positionable across the second box members through the open recesses in the side walls of the second member whereby to provide a cruciform gameboard with upstanding walls along the perimeter thereof.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 together'with bendable clip means provided on said hinged intermediate wall portions of at least one of said box members for retaining said intermediate wall portions in coplanar relation With said side Walls.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein at least one of said complemental box members has slots formed in the elongated panel for retaining the box members in their crossed relation, by means of insertion of said bendable clip means into said slots.

4. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said cruciform gameboard includes a center portion and two pairs of opposite end portions assigned to different players, four sets of movable game pieces assigned to the different players respectively and adapted to stand on the gameboard, saidsets of game pieces being movable from the end portions of the gameboard toward the center portion thereof, and a hand-held gun usable by each player for shooting projectiles over said upstanding walls at the players end of the gameboard at game pieces of the other players whereby to cause the game pieces to fall.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said game pieces are of a lesser height than said upstanding walls of the gameboard.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Virnoche 273-95 Moore 273131 Doan 273101 Nichols 273102 1,402,637 1/1922 Miller 273-401 1,525,944 2/1925 Marteka 273136 3,116,928 1/1964 Wilde 273-136 5 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

M. R. PAGE, Assistant Examiner. 

